In a statement released on the star's Facebook page, his family said he had passed away peacefully surrounded by his loved ones after battling the disease since 2014.

He was 69.

Watch: Memorable moments from David Bowie's amazing career

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The star, who shot to fame in the late 1960s when Space Oddity was released before earning international fame with 1972's The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars, released his latest album, Blackstar, just three days ago.

The family statement read: "David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18-month battle with cancer.

"While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family's privacy during their time of grief."

David Bowie in concert at Cardiff Arms Park in June 1987

His son, film director Duncan Jones, tweeted: "Very sorry and sad to say it's true. I'll be offline for a while. Love to all."

Bowie, born in post-war Brixton, south London, kicked off his music career in the R&B boom of the early Sixties.

Video: How David Bowie's death was announced

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The star made a habit of confounding the critics - killing off his most famous creation, Ziggy Stardust, at the height of his fame - and reinventing himself in roles including glam rocker, soul singer and hippie songwriter.

Bowie made a surprise comeback in 2013 when he suddenly released a new single on his 66th birthday with an album out just weeks later, his first for 10 years.

An amazing life in music

Born David Robert Jones on January 8, 1947, in Brixton, south London, to mother Margaret "Peggy", a waitress, and charity worker Haywood "John" Jones, Bowie's musical talent was clear from an early age and he had his first taste for rock music through the record collection of his older brother, Terry.

The family moved to south east London, where he graduated from Bromley Technical High School at 16. He formed a number of bands and led a group calling himself Davy Jones.

He changed his name to David Bowie to avoid confusion with the Monkees' Davy Jones. The name was said to be inspired by a knife developed by the 19th century American pioneer Jim Bowie.

Watch David Bowie perform Starman on Top of the Pops in 1972

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He decided to set out on his own as a solo artist, releasing three singles for Pye Records and his debut album, The World Of David Bowie.

But the records did not achieve the huge success he would go on to experience and he retreated to a Buddhist monastery in Scotland in 1967

After returning to London he started arts troupe Feathers in 1968. As the group eventually separated he helped create the Beckenham Arts Lab in 1969 before releasing Space Oddity on July 11 that year, his first UK number one.

His newest album Blackstar, released on the singer's birthday, was the first of Bowie's records not to feature a picture of him on the album cover.